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Core Knowledge

We have worked hard to develop a curriculum for our children to enjoy after engaging with a substantial amount of research from around the world. We teach through a series of domains that have been designed by staff at the school. We have identified the vocabulary and knowledge that our pupils need to acquire as they learn. The current pattern of domains is shown below. It will evolve as time goes on as we regularly review and edit the curriculum. Read our Teaching and Learning Policy for more details about our philosophy.

This summary of our curriculum illustrates its key areas. It is designed to spiral so that our pupils return to key themes of learning as they progress through the school. 

As our children progress through the school they develop a wide range of skills.  The core skills in literacy and numeracy are highlighted in the Literacy and Numeracy Framework.  The Digital Competency Framework maps out key IT skills.

The Core Knowledge principles have been developed over an extended period of time and they are based on sound research.  More information can be found here.

The seeds for the concept of a Core Knowledge Curriculum were sown by Professor E. D. Hirsch of the University of Virginia.

This article about cultural literacy explains the central ideas involved.

This blog, written by Daniel Willingham, explains why high standards of reading comprehension require good levels of knowledge.